Manufacture of hydrogen by means of silicon and its alloys



UNITED STATES] PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE FRANQOIS J'A'UBER'I, F PARIS, FRANCE.

MANUFACTURE or HYnnoenN BY MEANS or srticon AND rre annoys.

No Drawing.

To all, whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, GEORGE l Jaumnrr, a citizen of Swiss Republic, andresiding in Paris, 155 Boulevard Malesherhes, France have inventedcertain new and useful I1nprovements in and Relating to the Manufactureof l-lydrogen by Means oi F-ilicon and its Alloys, of which thefollowing is a corn plete specification. s

. in the manufacture oi hydrogen by means of silicon and alloys oisilicon acting upon a concentrated solution of caustic alkali (Frenchpatent G; F. Jaubert, l lo. 44-30802 of 6th August 1910) explosionsoccur sometimes when the silicon or its alloys contain impurities, moreparticularly phosphids due to the phosphates contained in the sand or inthe coal which ha ve served for the manufacture of silicon or its alloysthe said phosphids forming, when coming into contact with water, phosphoated hydrogen, spontaneously inflammable.-

Moreover, it seem an established tact that the quantity of-the saidphosphids increases alloy decreases. For instance alloys oftetro-silicon contain more phosphids when they are at of silicon thanwhen they are at 95%.

This seems to be due to the lower tcmperature of the electric furnace atwhich the first alloys are manufactured relatively to the second alloys.

[in the other side, a unity of silicon costs less with poor alloys thanwith rich-alloys; a quantity of electric current equal to a kilowatt-42i hours gives Qkilograms oi terrosilicon at il'i against one kilogramotterrosilicon at or I a lit is clean therefore, that it would be veryadvantageous to be able to use poor alloys in :tull satetyit it would bepossible to avoid any dangers oi? erplosions due to. the formation ofthe spontaneously inflammable phosl n'a ted h Irogen which is formedowing to osition oi the above mentioned invention enables to obtain thesad it consists in causing an in (distilled water rain water.

uitab r purified ii nec in the st Specification of Letters Patent.

according as the percentage of the silicon Patented Jan. 18, 1921.

' Application filed. July 29, 1920. Sc-rial No. 399,928

tained so to say in a slaked state may then wlthout any dang-er, beintroduced in a hydrogen generator, for instance in a generator of thetype described in Patent l'lo. 430302 oi the (5th August 191.0 since thephosphorated hydrogen which is spontaneously intlannnable has beenpartly eliniinated. I

ll hcn using the said paste of ferro-silicon some dilliculties may beeiqierienced, but they canbe overcome in the following manner:

In spite of the considerable ditliercncc oi density existing betweenwater and terrd silicon at T5 or it is possible to make mixtures ofequal volumes (1.00 liters oi ferro-silicon in the state oil powder forin stance and liters oi water) and to main tain the said mixture in ahomogeneous suspension, simply by stirring.

Duringthe stirring, the greatest. part of the harmful gases iseliminated.

The semi-"pasty liquid is entirely homogreneous and may then bedistributed by means of a pump for instance (diaphragm or plunger pump)either directly to the hydrogen generator, or to an intermediarydistributing member with a variable delivery such as a conveying screwor any other ap 'iarutusi The pump is generally sufficient and givesgood results.

The paste of terro-silicon is then injected into the hydrogen generator,either at the upper part whence it falls into the alkaline liquid inmotion, or on the contrary under the alkaline liquid itself.

The described process enables consequently to obtain not only a purergas since a large part of the gaseous phosphorated deriratcs iseliminated bc'hn'chainl, but moreover prevents any accident to .becaused by a spontaneous inllannnation, as those which hare thosequalities ports en palm w ate r irruch ill commences almost immediatelyand the output per hour of the apparatus is appreciably increased.

hat I claim is.

l. The method herein described of inanufacturing' lrvdrogen, consistingin adding ater to powdered 'lerro-silieon to decompose the phosphidscontained in the le1roililro11 and form a pasty mass. and then addingthe pasty mass to a solution oi caustic alkali in a hydrogen generator.

2. The method of manufacturing hydrogen, consisting in mixing pure waterwith powdered ferro-silicon to decompose the phosphids contained in theterm-silicon and to form a past mass, and then rea ;-tin on said masswith caustic alkali.

The method herein described of man- 'ul'acturing hydrogen consisting inmixing equal volumes of term-silicon in the stale ol powder and watc instirring the .-aid mixture in order to eliminate phosphida; and ininjecting the semi-pasty liquid ot' terro ilicon ohtaincd. into alrydrmren generator containing caustic alkali. either ahore or helo\\'th alkaline liquid.

ln testimon I have hereunto HUI my hand It Paris (France) this ninth dayof July 1920.

GEOR GE FR ANQOTS .l lUBl lll'l.

